Arkansas athlete wins citizenship award; Soza was a finalist

Arkansas track and field athlete Nathanael Franks received the Wooden Citizenship Cup award Tuesday night at a banquet in Atlanta.

UTSA quarterback Eric Soza was one of five finalists.

Soza made the trip along with his parents and with UTSA officials, including offensive coordinator Kevin Brown and athletic director Lynn Hickey.

The award, named for former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, is presented annually by a group known as Athletes for a Better World. It’s the ninth year of the award, and it goes to both a professional and a collegian.

Former golfing great Jack Nicklaus was honored as the Wooden Cup’s professional award recipient.

Along with Soza, the other finalists were Andrea Mingo, Purdue women’s basketball; Meghan Lyons, North Carolina field hockey and Brigetta Barrett, Arizona track and field.

Baseball: Jesse Baker’s two-run home run led the Roadrunners past UT-Pan American, 2-1, in a non-conference game at Edinburg. The Roadrunners (22-18) will resume Western Athletic Conference play on the road Friday at Dallas Baptist.